Surname Maierl - Meaning and Origin
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Maierl: What does the surname Maierl mean?
The last name Maierl is an Austrian name with origins in the German language. It is a patronymic name derived from the middle German term “Mair”, meaning “mayor”. This term was used to describe the head of a village or a town. Thus, Maierl means “son of the mayor” and, historically, has indicated the progeny of someone who had held a prestigious administrative position.
The term “Maierl”, on its own, is not commonly used today. In addition, due to Austria’s turbulent political history, the name is now found in many different cultures and is often misspelled in different languages. In some Eastern European countries, it is rendered as Majszlik or Majerik, whereas in the Netherlands it is spelled Maerl.
From a cultural standpoint, the Maierl name symbolizes a family's self-importance and prestigious status. It is indicative of someone with an ancestral history of holding a position of leadership in a small municipality or village. This is especially common in Austria, where the municipal units themselves are often quite small.
It has been speculated that the name was often taken by those with a particular proclivity for governing, bucking the traditional societal structure of the time by either forcibly or politically ascending to a position of authority. In this sense, it could be considered an honorific title representing a family’s social esteem.
Order DNA origin analysisMaierl: Where does the name Maierl come from?
The last name Maierl is most common today in the German-speaking countries of central Europe. Maierl is a German surname derived from the German root words Maier (also spelled Mayer) meaning “mayor” or “landowner” combined with the suffix “–l” meaning “little”.
The Maierl name is most commonly found in Austria, where it ranks as the 30th most frequent name in the country. In Germany, the name is less common, but it is still among the 1,000 most common surnames in the nation. It is estimated that over 35,000 people with the name Maierl live in Austria today.
The surname Maierl can also be found in other areas of Europe including Liechtenstein, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and the Netherlands. In the United States, the Maierl surname has been recorded in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, and other states.
Overall, while not among the most common surnames in the world, the family name Maierl is well distributed across the German-speaking countries of central Europe and beyond.
Variations of the surname Maierl
Maierl is a family name of German origin and is usually spelled as Mayerl, Meirle, Maerle, Maier, Meyer, Maerl, Mairle, Meierl, Mairl, Meirl, Maehrle, Maerlen, Marlen, Merlen, Maerlin, and Maerlein.
The surname Maierl is derived from the ancient German word “mager” meaning “meadow.” It likely originated as a nickname for someone who lived near or owned a meadow.
Over time, some variations of the name have become distinct surnames. For example: Maerle, a small town in northwestern Bavaria today; Maerlen, a former village in Saxony-Anhalt; and Maier, a common spelling in areas formerly part of old Eastern Prussia.
Several variants of the Maierl surname have various spellings and are derived from other languages. For example, Meyer or Meir is the most common variant in the United States. It is derived from the Hebrew language and means “illuminator.”
Other variants include Meierl, or “of the meadow,” Mairl, or “of the sea”; Meirl, or “steersman of the sea”; Maehrle, or “of the land”; Marlen, or “son of Mar”; and Merlen, or “stalwart meadow.”
In conclusion, the surname Maierl has various spellings, variants, and surnames of the same origin. From the meadow name originally derived in Old German, it has evolved to numerous variations across the world, ranging from the United States, western and eastern Germany, and other European countries.
Famous people with the name Maierl
- Susanne Maierl: Austrian actress
- Joseph Maierl: Austrian architect
- Josef Maierl: Austrian singer
- Johann Maierl: Austrian painter
- Hermann Maierl: Austrian sculptor
- Wilhelm Maierl: Austrian landscape painter
- Egon Maierl: Austrian ice hockey player
- Anton Maierl: Austrian graphic art designer
- Hans Maierl: Austrian educator
- Franz Maierl: Austrian politician